Marissa Jaret Winokur

Like so many great Hollywood success stories, Marissa Jaret Winokur's ascent to fame started with a chance discovery by a top talent, which led to the role of a lifetime. In Winokur's case, it was a b...
Read More...

Hairspray stars Ricki Lake, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Nikki Blonsky came together for a rare appearance in New York on Monday (28Apr14) to pay tribute to the hit musical's composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman. The three actresses, who have all played the leading lady Tracy Turnblad on stage and screen, were guests of the New York Pops orchestra as part of of an event celebrating the work of Shaiman and Whitman.
Lake, who starred in John Waters' 1988 film, Winokur, who originated the role on Broadway in 2002, and Blonsky, who took on the part in the 2007 film adaptation of the musical, belted out a version of the musical's opening song, Good Morning, Baltimore.
Winokur also joined the other members of the original Broadway cast, including Glee's Matthew Morrison and Laura Bell Bundy, as they performed the hit song, You Can't Stop the Beat.
Also taking the stage to sing Shaiman/Whitman tracks from film and stage were Patti LuPone, Les Miserables' Aaron Tveit, Katharine McPhee, Broadway veterans Will Chase and Jane Krakowski, and comedian Martin Short.

The former Broadway star was photographed flaunting a dramatically slimmer waistline at the premiere of Wreck-It Ralph in Hollywood on Monday (29Oct12), after suffering a setback last Christmas (11) and gaining back the pounds she'd previously shed.
She puts her new trim figure down to a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen, as well as daily encouragement she receives from actor McDermitt.
She tells People.com, "We'll text each other in the morning (about our hikes). Since the year began, I'm doing well. Everything's back on track."

Mum and her babysitter took little Zev to hospital recently after the kid cut his lip so badly it drenched his T-shirt in blood.
In her parental blog on People.com, she writes, "The doctor confirmed Zev did need stitches, but said we needed a surgeon... The surgeon took one look at him and said, 'You need a plastic surgeon.'
"The plastic surgeon came in and had a very grown-up talk with Zev about the stitches and the shot and what everything meant. Zev listened carefully and calmly, and closed his eyes as directed.
"I did okay, too - until I saw the shot. My husband took his jacket off and started sweating and I rubbed Zev’s head gently. My little boy was so brave! In the end, Zev got 19 stitches. He cried a little, but when the doctor asked if it hurt he said honestly, 'No, I’m just scared.' I couldn’t believe how calm he was.
"It was the first time I really saw that he was his own little person. He wasn’t a baby. I felt like I was seeing him as a teenager. He asked for me to hold his hand - but then also asked when he could chew gum again!
"When the stitches were over, (husband) Judah (Miller) and I took him straight for ice cream. If a toy store had been open I would have bought him ANYTHING!!! He handled it all so well.
"The next morning he woke up with a fat lip. It hurt me more than it hurt him."
The Tony Award-winning actress, 39, welcomed Zev via a surrogate in 2008.

Sharon Osbourne has reportedly lost two co-hosts as she prepares for a month-long hiatus from U.S. talk show The Talk - actresses Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini will not return for the programme's second season. In total three of the original six hosts have now left the show - Marissa Jaret Winokur departed in January (11).

The hour-long daytime talk show, co-hosted by the rock matriarch, newswoman Julie Chen, and actresses Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete and Sara Gilbert, features the all-female panel discussing current events and parental issues.
And it's proved to be such a big hit with TV viewers, CBS executives have commissioned it for another season following its October (10) premiere.
CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler says: "After only a few months on the air, The Talk has delivered creative and ratings growth and established a strong profile in daytime. The co-hosts have clicked together, the topics have connected with the audience and the show has added a new dimension to our top-rated daytime line-up."
The Talk's renewal follows the departure of correspondent Marissa Jaret Winokur, who left last month (Dec10) over a lack of screen time.

Winokur, who starred in Broadway's Hairspray, provided twice-weekly segments for the new daytime talk show, hosted by newswoman Julie Chen, rock matriarch Sharon Osbourne, and actresses Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete and Sara Gilbert.
But CBS bosses have parted ways with the star, three months after the show's October (10) premiere.
The Talk executive producer Brad Bessey tells People.com, "We think the world of Marissa as a creative talent, on-air personality and super mum. This is a mutual decision based on time, not talent."
Winokur explains, "As the show evolved, there really wasn't room for my segments."

The star, who appeared in hit Broadway musical Hairspray, welcomed son Zev in 2008 via surrogate after beating cervical cancer.
Winokur and her husband Judah Miller are keen to give Zev a little brother or sister and have already met with experts to help expand their family.
Revealing the news on U.S. TV's The Talk on Thursday (18Nov10), she says, "We're in the process, we've met with the surrogate agencies, we've started the shots. We're moving forward, it's a long process."

The former Roseanne star, who has two children with TV producer Allison Adler, had previously declined to discuss the details of her private life.
But Gilbert, now 35, quietly 'came out' about her sexual preference during a press conference at the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles on Wednesday (28Jul10), where she discussed her new U.S. chat show The Talk, which is set to premiere this autumn (10).
Entertainment Weekly reports that during the panel Gilbert was asked if she was comfortable being "out" on the show.
She replied: "This is a whole new world for me. I'm not an expert on this, or I don't analyse these things. I'm just sort of living my life.
"I don't think (being out) will be a problem... I don't ever really think of things as being out or in... I just think I am who I am, and when topics come up that are appropriate, I'll talk about them and share when it seems right."
Gilbert will co-host the programme, about motherhood and parenting, with rock matriarch Sharon Osbourne, actresses Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete and Marissa Jaret Winokur, and TV anchor Julie Chen.
And she admits signing on to the series sealed her decision to go public about being gay.
She explains, "I've been acting my whole life, and I've never really discussed my personal life. This is a talk show... So obviously I'm going to be discussing my life more."
Gilbert and Adler, parents to five-year-old son Levi and two-year-old daughter Sawyer, have been a couple since 2002.

As the World Turns has a few more episodes to air before its 54-year run comes to an end in September, but CBS has already picked its replacement. It won't be another soap opera: instead, it'll be a Julie Chen-hosted talk show for moms! They have the right to vote, so stop looking like you didn't see this coming.
Sara Gilbert, Leah Remini, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete and Marissa Jaret Winokur will join Chen at a round table, where they might play poker... but certainly not to win chips: they'll play for nights to the movies and the opportunity to win a babysitter so they can spend an entire Saturday playing strip poker with their spouses. Or maybe one of those automated books that a kid can slide a pen over a sentence and an automated voice reads to them! Ugh, imaginations can be treacherous sometimes.
In reality, they'll sit around, drink coffee, and talk about being moms. Sharon Osbourne will probably be the light of the show, because she's the mom who gave her kids whiskey and let them sniff glue so they'd pass out and forget they were teething. Leah Remini will reveal how she and her husband of 22 years keep their lives caliente hot, Holly Robinson Peete will try very hard to fulfill the "token black woman" role that's been assigned to her, Marissa Jaret Winokur will do something I'm sure is important but for some reason I can't think of right now, and Sara Gilbert will rightfully advocate that same-sex couples can be parents. What a bunch!
Chen will be what Meredith Vieira was to The View: neutral, occasionally interjecting if things get too graphic or to move everyone along if they get hung up on a topic, like how legitimate it is to make your own diapers. Overall though, the best thing about this means we're one step closer to a talk show for air traffic controllers.
Source: OK Magazine

Actress Priscilla Presley, former tennis pro Monica Seles and hip-hop singer Mario are among the celebrities who have signed up for the sixth season of TV show Dancing with the Stars.
Despite months of media speculation, the cast members were officially announced on Monday ahead of the March 17 premiere.
From the entertainment industry, actor Steve Guttenberg will join Telenovela star Cristian de la Fuente, magician Penn Jillette and radio/TV personality Adam Carolla on stage--as well as actresses Shannon Elizabeth, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Marlee Matlin.
Miami Dolphin star Jason Taylor will represent the world of sports in the lineup together with Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.
But before the news broke, Taylor explained to People.com that he hadn't yet told his teammates or coach about his offseason dancing activity.
He says, "I'm going to turn off my text-messaging and my cell phone."
COPYRIGHT 2008 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.

Title

Appeared on an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO) as a woman who tangles with Larry David over a doctor’s appointment

Joined the Broadway revival of "Grease" as Pink Lady Jan

Cast in the national touring company of "Grease"

Feature debut, the Drew Barrymore comedy, "Never Been Kissed"

Made series regular debut in the FOX series, "Stacked" as an accident-prone bookstore employee

Appeared opposite Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in the baseball comedy "Fever Pitch"

Played the lead (also executive produced) in the ABC Family TV movie "Beautiful Girl"

Cast on the ABC reality series "Dancing with the Stars" as a celebrity contestant

Played the lead role of Tracy Turnblad in the musical adaptation of cult director John Waters’ film, "Hairspray"

Had a memorable role as a fast food counter girl in "American Beauty"

Hosted the first season of "Dance Your Ass Off" on the Oxygen Network

Joined Nikki Blonsky and Ricki Lake in singing "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" on the Hairspray soundtrack

Featured on an episode of "The Steve Harvey Show" (WB

Hired by Rob Marshall for the role of Tracy Turnblad; Marshall later left the production and was replaced by Jack O'Brien

Summary

Like so many great Hollywood success stories, Marissa Jaret Winokur's ascent to fame started with a chance discovery by a top talent, which led to the role of a lifetime. In Winokur's case, it was a bit part as a fast food restaurant employee in "American Beauty" (1999) that caught the eye of film and stage director Rob Marshall. The "Chicago" (2002) director recommended her for the role of Tracy Turnblad - the plus-sized heroine of the Broadway musical version of "Hairspray" - and the rest was history. For her performance in "Hairspray," Winokur brought home a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress. With several small guest roles already under her belt, Winokur was soon landing the lead in TV movies like "Beautiful Girl" (2003) and regular cast parts on such series as the Pamela Anderson sitcom, "Stacked" (Fox, 2005-06). An admirable run for the coveted disco ball trophy during the 2008-09 season of the popular competition series, "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ) led to other offers, including hosting duties on the daytime program "The Talk" (CBS, 2010- ). Winokur continued to act as well, taking on a regular cast role on the sitcom "Retired at 35" (TV Land, 2011- ) after departing from the daytime talk show. A multi-dimensional performer with bona fide audience appeal, Winokur brought her infectious upbeat charm to each new endeavor.

Met when she co-starred on "Stacked" (FOX) and he was a writer on the show; married October 7, 2006

Zev Miller

Son

Carried to term by a surrogate mother and born on July 22, 2008; father, Judah Miller

Michael Winokur

Father

Maxine Winokur

Mother

Education

Name

The American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Fox Lane High School

Notes

During the early development stages of "Hairspray," Winokur was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She underwent treatment for the disease, including a hysterectomy, without revealing her condition to anyone except her immediate family out of fear that she would be replaced in the musical.